Colonization: Betrayal & Grief, Shapeshifter Dilemma (Flash Fiction with Blues Soundtrack)

In Shifting Form, Tarian’s grief and guilt leave him brooding in the meeting hall, hunched over a cracked table with dagger in hand. His friend Keldon tries to pull him back from despair, but their exchange takes a sinister turn when a monstrous impostor invades their bond. What begins as self-recrimination erupts into suspicion, steel, and the chilling revelation that trust is more fragile than ever.

#FantasyStory #MonsterInDisguise #EloquentTalesAndBlues #FlashFiction #BluesMusic #FantasyDrama #BetrayalAndTrust #OriginalStorytelling

Every strike of Tarian’s dagger echoes his fractured alliances, and when the shapeshifter reveals itself, the cost of vulnerability becomes undeniable. Shifting Form blends tense friendship, sudden violence, and eerie transformation into a tale of doubt and survival.

🎵 I chose Washed Out to accompany this tale, not one of my more eerie pieces, but the one steeped in melancholy. Its drifting saxophone lines mirror the sorrow eating at Tarian’s soul, while the clarinet’s grounding voice underscores the weight left in the wake of broken alliances, hinting at something more to come.

Behind the Scenes:
When I got to this point in the overarching tale, I wanted to amp up the danger and further explore the world the colonists discovered themselves in. As a result, I dropped myself into this situation and asked, "How could this be made worse?" It didn't take long for me to discover a truly devastating turn to take and explore. After they were stripped of their alliances, they must contend not only with looming threats but also with dangers wearing familiar faces. The story asks a haunting question: how do you fight when you can’t be sure who stands beside you?

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Links:
📘 Dead Man’s Hand: https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Mans-Hand-Forgers-Book-ebook/dp/B0DHY1WMT8/ref=sr_1_1
📘 Shifting Form: https://www.wattpad.com/822506017-colonization-shifting-form

⏱ Timestamps:
0:00 Song Start and Introduction
0:24 Story Begins
6:23 Story Ends and Sign Off
6:53 End Cards